Minister Savitha said the government remains committed to providing economic security to weavers. “From the days of N.T. Rama Rao to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Telugu Desam legacy has always stood firmly with the weaving community’’

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

In a major relief to the handloom sector, the Andhra Pradesh government has announced the implementation of free electricity for weavers from April 1, fulfilling a key election promise made to the community. State Minister for Handlooms and Textiles S. Savitha on Thursday said the coalition government will provide 200 free power units per month for handlooms and 500 units for power looms, offering significant financial relief to over 1.03 lakh weaving families across the state.

Addressing the media at the Secretariat in Amaravati, the minister said the scheme would benefit 93,000 handloom families and 10,534 power-loom households, totalling 1,03,534 beneficiary families. The initiative is expected to place an annual financial burden of over ₹85 crore on the state exchequer. Under the scheme, handloom weavers will save approximately Rs 720 per month, translating to Rs 8,640 annually, while power-loom operators will receive savings of nearly Rs 1,800 per month, amounting to Rs 21,600 per year.

Minister Savitha said the government remains committed to providing economic security to weavers. “From the days of N.T. Rama Rao to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the Telugu Desam legacy has always stood firmly with the weaving community,” she said, adding that the 2014-19 period marked a golden era for the handloom sector.

Highlighting additional welfare measures, the minister said Rs 4,000 monthly pensions are being provided to weavers aged above 50 years, benefiting 87,280 individuals. The enhancement of pensions from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 is providing an additional Rs 12,000 annual income support per beneficiary.

She further noted that the government has cleared Rs 7 crore in pending dues to handloom cooperative societies through APCO in the last two months and released Rs 1.67 crore under the first instalment of the thrift fund scheme. A 15 per cent yarn subsidy is also being extended through the National Handloom Development Corporation.

Outlining future plans, Savitha said the government is strengthening market access through tie-ups with Cooptex, Tata Taneira and Birla Aditya, expanding e-commerce sales, and promoting ready-made garment production through APCO. Major infrastructure projects include a Rs 172-crore Unity Mall in Visakhapatnam, textile parks in Emmiganur, Rayadurgam, Mylavaram and Pamidi, a Mega Textile Park at Mangalagiri, and cluster development projects across the state.